The present invention relates to the making of green (freshly mixed) concrete, plaster, dry mortar or like building materials. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in mixing towers wherein the ingredients of such building materials are stored and processed to yield a final or ultimate product which can be transported to the locale or locales of use.
It is already known to assemble a mixing tower for concrete or the like from several superimposed sections which contain various aggregates serving for the storage and/or processing of ingredients or constituents of the ultimate product, e.g., for storage of portland cement and water, for mixing of such ingredients, for metering the quantities of ingredients to be mixed, for storing a supply of freshly mixed concrete, for dispensing freshly mixed concrete and for controlling or regulating the sequence of operations when the tower is in actual use. An advantage of mixing towers with superimposed sections is that at least some of the ingredients of the final product (hereinafter referred to as concrete with the understanding, however, that the tower can be used with equal advantage for the making of other materials such as dry mortar, plaster and the like) can descend by gravity. This entails considerable savings in energy and space when compared with mixing systems wherein various components or units are disposed at the same level, one next to the other. The placing of various reservoirs, mixers and/or other units side by side rather than above each other necessitates the use of numerous conveyors which transport the ingredients between several units as well as a large number of pipes which connect at least some of the units to each other, and requires practically constant attention by one or more workmen.
A drawback of presently known mixing towers with superimposed aggregates is that the aggregates must be installed in a frame which surrounds the aggregates and supports them at different levels. The frame is assembled of numerous parts which must be transported to and connected to each other at the locale of erection of the tower. Also, the installation of various aggregates at different levels of the frame is a time-consuming operation which necessitates the utilization of cranes and other highly expensive equipment for long periods of time. Furthermore, it is necessary to employ skilled persons at the locus of erection, and such skilled persons must be in attendance for extended periods of time.